Kim Kardashian and Kanye West to wed THIS WEEK... in 'private courthouse wedding'

• .Pair 'have obtained a confidential marriage license ahead of the nuptials'
• .They were allegedly advised by their lawyers to have a wedding in America before their ceremonies in France
• .Their Parisian ceremony on May 24th is still expected to be an extravagant affair

By SARAH BULL

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are set to wed in Los Angeles this week, it has been reported. 

The couple, who are planning an extravagant ceremony in Paris, France, next month, will be saying 'I do' before the week's out, according to TMZ.com. 

However, while the pair's French nuptials on May 24th will no doubt be a no-holds-barred lavish do, this week's ceremony is due to be a much more low-key affair. 

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Nuptials: Kim Kardashian, who wore a wedding dress on the cover of Vogue magazine, and Kanye West are said to wed this week, according to reports

After obtaining a 'confidential' marriage license in a bid to keep the news quiet, Kim and Kanye will be walking down the aisle in a 'courthouse wedding'.

But in true Kardashian style, the pair are reportedly planning to celebrate becoming husband and wife at a do with friends and family following the ceremony. 

The wedding comes after Kanye popped the question last October - four months after Kim gave birh to their daughter North West. 

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Pout and about: News of the wedding this week came after Kim was seen looking sleek in all-black at a studio in Los Angeles on Monday

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Sticking to black: It remains to be seen what kind of outfit Kim chooses for the 'private, courthouse wedding'

It was previously reported that Kim and Kanye were planning to have a ceremony in America, as wel as a further two in France, after their lawyers allegedly recommended a US wedding to avoid any legal issues.

A source said: 'Typically, the U.S. recognizes citizens getting married in France, but dealing with a foreign government and paperwork could be a nightmare.

‘So just to make sure it’s legal, Kim and Kanye will first be having a civil ceremony in Southern California.’

The couple’s wedding plans were almost scuppered last month when they discovered that French law requires at least one of them to remain in France for at least 40 days before the wedding.

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Lavish: Kim and Kanye, last pictured together in Paris on April 14th, are reported to be having one wedding in America and then a further two in France

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Main venue: According to reports, one of the pair's French weddings will take place at Chateau de Louveciennes just outside Paris

Although Kanye has owned an apartment in the city for three years, it's not his main home and so the local mayor will make the final decision.

At the time a source told Radar: ‘Kim and Kanye were unaware until recently that France required a residency requirement prior to the marriage. Kanye has an apartment in Paris, but he doesn’t live there full time.’

And the French Embassy in Washington D.C confirmed the law saying: ‘All marriages must be performed by a French civil authority before any religious ceremony takes place. The mayor can authorise the deputy mayor or a city councillor to perform the ceremony in the town in which one of the parties to be married has resided for at least 40 days preceding the marriage. 

'These requirements cannot be waived.'

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Bridesmaid to be: Kim and Kanye's daughter North is expected to have a starring role in all the ceremonies

Their main wedding – which is rumoured to be held at Louis XIV-commissioned Chateau de Louveciennes – is expected to be an extravagant affair.

It’s thought Kim will have at least three outfit changes on the big day, with Azzedine Alaia expected to be one of the designers.

However, in an interview in February, Kim admitted she had changed her mind about what she wanted on her big day and was keen to have a smaller do.

She said: 'We're having a super, super small, intimate wedding. As we go along, we're realizing we want it to be smaller and more intimate than people are imagining and thinking.'

MailOnline has contacted a representative for Kim for comment.

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Third time lucky? This will be Kim's third wedding - she eloped with Damon Thomas when she was just 19, and wed basketball player Kris Humphries in 2011